Missile warhead cart



March 13, 1962 R. R. WERNER ET AL 3,

MISSILE WARHEAD CART Filed May 14, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS RAYMOND R. WERNER EDWIN L. ENGELBERG ATTORNEYS March 13, .1962 R. R. WERNER ET AL 3,024,925

MISSILE WARHEAD CART Filed May 14, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS RAYMOND R. WERNER EDWIN L. ENGELBERG BY cQ/BW ATTORNEYS Filed May 14, 1959 FIG.3

R. R. WERNER ET AL 3,024,925

MISSILE WARHEAD CART 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 9? I so 20 [O F A1 INVENTORS a RAYMOND R. WERNER EDWIN L. ENGELBERG ATTORNEYS United States Patent Nav Filed May 14, 1959, Ser. No. 813,320 3 Claims. (O1. 214-45) This invention relates to a material handling vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle comprising a rotatable crane and cradle for transporting guided missile warheads. .As is known, it is common practice in the art of missile handling and launching to store and ship missile components in individual component containers to an ultimate storage depot and/or a launching installation. The concept of component or subassembly handling and storing of guided missiles allows the missiles to be handled, stored and tested in much smaller units than would be possible if handling each assembled missile as an entity. Certain problems of course are incident to a material handling concept such as above described. Many of the problems and disadvantages however can be obviated by the utilization at missile handling and launching depots of equipment especially fabricated to efiic-iently perform the necessary handling operations preparatory to launching.

One of the frequently used warhead configurations which must be handled in a present day missile launching operation is normally delivered in its own container as a single unit with a pair of hoisting ears affixed to opposite sides of the warhead assembly. Missile warheads are frequently made up of extremely delicate timing, fuzing and tiring mechanisms and in many instances explosively sensitive components which, good safety practice dictates, must be handled with extreme care at all times while maintaining absolute physical control over the unit. Additionally, in many instances the warhead bodies are of such volume and/ or weight a to preclude eflicient manual handling thereof. Likewise aerodynamic characteristics of the overall configuration may be of a complexity so as to preclude the use of the normally available hoisting equipment as used in conventional industrial material handling.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved cargo or material handling vehicle which is particularly well adapted for hoisting and transporting a load of the afore-mentioned character.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved portable crane having a rotatable counterweighted boom on a vertical standard positioned so as not to interfere with the load carrying capabilities of the vehicle.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an improved highly maneuverable vehicle having a hoisting apparatus and a stabilizing feature for steadying the vehicle.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mobile cargo handling cart having a simple, light yet rugged and efficient cargo hoist arrangement thereon as well as a load carrying cradle which will accept and support the load during transit independent of the hoisting arrangement.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved missile warhead cart having features of design and construction which facilitate the necessary handling and transporting operations incident to the procedures practiced with present day guided missiles and lends to maximum versatility without modification.

It is a further object to provide a new and improved material handling mechanism which overcomes substantially all of the shortcomings of material handling devices heretofore or now in general use while providing substantially all of the desired advantages thereof.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention with the warhead carrying cradle or stanchion attached;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the boom rotated to a rearwardly directed position to better illustrate the winch mechanism assembly and showing the manner in which missile warhead may be attached to the cradle or stanchion.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the present invention comprises a chassis 10 having a rectangular platform 11 supported for maximum maneuverability at its four corners by caster wheels 12 preferably of the nonsparking type. The platform and chassis may be constructed of welded I-beams and steel plates, as illustrated, or of any strong material equivalent. A floor lock mechanism 14 is preferably provided on each side of the platform and may be manually screwed into contact with the deck or ground. The lock mechanism is provided for the purpose of maintaining the cart or vehicle in a stabilized condition and to lock the cart to the deck or floor during necessary operational procedures. A pair of pintle hooks or tug hitches 16 may be provided on either end of the missile warhead cart for connection with a tow bar 17 to facilitate moving the cart by means of a conventional mechanical towing car or tractor (not shown).

On the after portion of the platform 11 and preferably on the longitudinal center line thereof there may be bolted or otherwise fastened a mast support plate 13. A mast or vertical standard 20 may be attached to the support plate 18 and is preferably supported by a plurality of inclined struts 21 which may be welded or otherwise connected to the support plate 18 at one end and to the mast 20 at the other extremity. A fixed thrust or stop collar 23 is mounted near the upper end of the mast. A rotatable collar or bearing block is suit-ably journaled on the distal end of the mast 20 and is affixed in any suitable manner at its upper end of the boom yoke assembly 25. The boom yoke 25 is supported by the collar 23 for rotation in a horizontal plane. The boom yoke 25 may be bolted or otherwise connected to the rotatable counterweighted boom 26 and to depending channel member 28 which supports the winch assembly. A winch support plate 30 may be welded or otherwise fastened on the lower end of channel member 28 and carries at right angles thereto a pair of shaft support plates 31. A pair of bearings may be journaled in the shaft support plates for the support of winch handle and cable drum shafts 32 and 33 respectively. The winch preferably comprises a hand crank 35 which operates a worm 36 through a reduction beveled gear drive 37. The worm drives a worm gear 39 mounted on the cable drum or reel 40. This gear arrangement permits the axis of the hand crank to be parallel to the axis of the cable drum 40.

The boom 26 is preferably rotatable through 360 to permit a load to be hoisted from any direction with re spect to the vehicle or cart. The boom may comprise a pair of spaced channel members or I-beams bolted or otherwise suitably connected to the outside faces of boom yoke 25. Diagonal braces 24 preferably interconnect the counterweight end of the boom with channel member 23 and a band shackle 29 may encircle the mast to add to the overall rigidity of the crane structure. The length of the boom is preferably determined so that the load may conveniently be lowered into the cradle attachment as will be more fully described hereinafter. A counterweight 27 is shown connected to one end of the boom to balance the tipping moment of the cart during hoisting. A hoisting sheave or pulley 42 is preferably journaled at the working end of the boom 26. Another sheave 43 is preferably rotatably housed in the boom on the opposite side of the mast from the hoisting sheave 42 and directly above the winch cable drum 40. A working cable 44 is connected at one end to the cable drum 40 and led through a sheave 43 and hoist sheave 42 and is preferably provided with a cargo hook 46 at its working extremity.

It is obvious that the illustrated cable could be replaced by rope or chain and that the winch mechanism could be adapted to be power driven by the exercise of mechanical skill.

When it is intended to utilize the vehicle for the handling of warhead bodies, a warhead stanchion or cradle assembly 80 is preferably placed on the cart platform 11, To facilitate this operation the forward portion of the chassis '10 may be provided with apertures for the insertion of indexing pins to retain the cradle or stanchion assembly on the platform as will become clear as the description proceeds. The warhead stanchion assembly may consist of a pair of upright frames 81, 82 welded or otherwise fastened to a pair of transversely extending connecting rods 83, 84 to the ends of which are fastened depending tongues or keel members 35 and 86. The forward pair of tongues or keels 85 may be apertured for registry with the holes located in the chassis It so that the cradle 80 may be connected to the vehicle with a pair of indexing pins 58. The indexing pins 58 are preferably attached by means of chains to the chassis structure so that they do not become displaced when the vehicle is being used without the Warhead stanchion connected thereto. One or more saddle members 6 may be positioned between the stanchion frames 81, S2 to support the warhead and to act as a strengthening cross base for the Warhead stanchion. The supporting surfaces of the saddle members are preferably lined with a cushioning layer $2 such as rubber or the like to prevent jarring of the warhead or scoring of the warhead surfaces.

At the upper corners of the cradle frames 81, '82 there are preferably located transversely extending connecting brackets 94, 95 suitably apertured to register with a set of holes bored in the warhead hoisting ears 98. As is apparent from FIG. 1 the warhead body is provided with a pair of hoisting ears 98 on each side thereof. The warhead ears are preferably provided with two holes 100 and 96, FIGS. 3 and 1 respectively, the upper holes 100 providing a means for shackling the sling 99 thereto while the lower holes 96 provide a means for connecting the warhead assembly to the stanchion 80. The warhead body may be removed from its container as by shackling the sling 9? to the upper holes 1430 in the hoisting ears and by lifting the assembly with the rotatable crane 26. The warhead body may be swung over the stanchion assembly 30 and lowered until the body is supported by the saddle liner 92 at which time the lower hoisting ear holes 96 are registering with the holes 94a, 95a in the connecting brackets 94, 95 so that connecting bolts or pins 97 may be inserted therethrough to support the warhead in its cradle or stanchion. As will be apparent from the aforegoing description, the boom length and the cradle or stanchion locating holes in the chassis structure are selected so as to place the cradle directly beneath the warhead body as it is supported by the boom when the boom is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The warhead is, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, carried with the longitudinal axis thereof coincident with that of the vehicle. The sling, of course, may be unshackled from the warhead or the cargo hook may be disengaged from the sling once the warhead missile is cradled in its stanchion, or if desired, the warhead may conveniently be transported on the vehicle with the hoisting gear attachedand either assisting to support the load or not.

The cart may be towed by means of tug hitches and mechanical towing tractors or moved manually as desired. When the Warhead on the vehicle is in proper position the floor locks provided may be engaged to assure that the vehicle remains in place and the warhead may be unloaded.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A warhead carrying vehicle comprising a rectangular chassis, a flat load carrying platform, a plurality of caster wheels attached to and supporting the chassis, a plurality of tug hitches connected to the chassis on opposite ends thereof, stabilizing means carried by the chassis and adapted to interconnect the chassis with the ground, a vertical standard carried by the chassis, a rotatable boom yoke journaled on the distal end of the standard, a boom carried by the boom yoke, a depending channel member connected to the boom yoke, a winch mechanism supported by the channel member, a counterweight connected to the boom and located above the winch mechanism, a system of pulleys carried by the boom, a working cable interconnecting the winch mechanism and the working pulleys and a warhead cradle carried by the platform remote from said vertical standard and movable along said platform to an adjusted position, said cradle comprising a pair of upright rectanglar frames, a pair of transversely extending connecting rods connected to the frames, a pair of flanges carried by one of each of said pair of rods and disposed at the terminal ends thereof for guiding said cradle longitudinally along the platform to an adjusted position, means carried by said chassis in engagement with at least two of said flanges and with said chassis for maintaining the cradle in said adjusted position, a plurality of transversely extending connecting plates located on the upper corners of said frames, a pair of saddle members interconnecting the frames and positioned above said interconnecting rods whereby a missile warhead may be hoisted aboard the vehicle and positioned in the cradle for transportation.

2. In a wheeled vehicle for handling missile warheads, a rectangular chassis, a flat load carrying platform on the chassis and supporting a rotatable lboom, a cradle supporting and receiving structure movable longitudinally along the platform to an adjusted position to receive a missile warhead from said boom, a pair of mutually spaced upright side frames on the cradle structure, a pair of transversely extending connecting rods connecting said frames and disposed on the platform, a pair of downwardly extending flanges carried by one of each of said pair of rods at the terminal ends thereof in engagement with the chassis for guiding and maintaining the cradlestructure on the platform as the cradle is moved longitudinally to said adjusted position, means carried by said chassis in engagement therewith and with at least two of the flanges on the rods for maintaining the cradle structure in an adjusted position, a pair of mutually spaced transversely extending saddle members disposed between and interconnecting the frames, each of said saddle members having an arcuate recess and a cushioning lining disposed therein for receiving and supporting a missile warhead delivered thereto by said boom to facilitate transportation of the missile warhead, bracket means carried by each of said frames at the upperends thereof and cooperating with complementary bracket means on the warhead, and locking pins carried by said bracket means on the frames in engagement therewith and with the bracket means on the warhead for locking the warhead to the frames and maintaining the warhead on said saddles and within the recesses therein during transpontation of the Warhead.

3. In a wheeled vehicle for handling missile warheads, a rectangular chassis having a pair of mutually spaced side rails connected at opposite ends thereof by end rails, a platform on said side rails and supporting a rotatable warhead handling boom and a longitudinal movable Warhead supporting and receiving cradle, each of said side rails having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, a pair of transversely extending rods carried by said frames in engagement with the platform and in spaced relationship, each rod of said pair of rods having a downwardly extending flange at the terminal ends thereof in engagement with said rails for guiding and maintaining the cradle on the platform during longitudinal movement thereof to said adjusted position, each flange on one rod of said pair of rods having an aperture therein for registration with one of the openings of said plurality of openings in one of each of said side rails, a pin carried by one of each of said pair of side rails in engagement with said registered openings and apertures for maintaining the cradle in said adjusted position, and a pair of mutually spaced saddle members disposed between interconnecting the frames for receiving and supporting a Warhead in a predetermined position on said platform as the warhead is delivered thereto by said boom, a pair of mutually spaced brackets carried by and located at the upper ends of each of said frames, complementary brackets carried by the Warhead and cooperating with the brackets on the frames, each of the brackets on the frames having an aperture therein, each of the brackets on the warhead having a complementary aperture therein in registration with the aperture in each of the brackets on the frames, and a pin carried by the brackets on each of the frames in engagement with said apertures in brackets on the Warhead for locking the warhead to the frames and within said cradle members thereby to maintain the warhead in said predetermined position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 708,625 Danielsen "Sept. 9, 1902 2,033,119 Bennett Mar. 10, 1938 2,223,275 Valenzuela a Nov. 26, 1940 2,411,022 Botnick Nov. 12, 1946 2,421,437 'Ryan et a1. a June 3, 1947 2,622,918 Stafie 2 Dec. 23, 1952 2,776,761 Lovelace I an. 8, 1957 2,785,807 Prowinsky 5 Mar. 19, 1957 2,798,622 Kelly et a1 July 9, 1957 

